*** The Standard 12 Volt DC Power Connector for Marion County ARES ***

More and more ARES, RACES, Search And Rescue (SAR), APRS and other emergency communication groups across the country are adopting the 30 amp powerpole as their recommended standard connector.

ARRL no longer has a Recommended Standard.  The formerly recommended 2-pin Molex connector is considered inadequate for today's VHF/UHF transceivers with higher output power.  Thus, instead of using different connectors for various current loads, one small, compact, 30 amp powerpole will handle all common needs including 100 watt HF transceivers.  Additional information on the Anderson Powerpole may be found on the web at:   www.cvrc.net/powerpole.html   http://www.ocraces.org/powerpole.html

MCARES has connectors and red/black zip cord in bulk and will set up frequent workshops to help area hams install these new connectors at minimal cost. 1 connector set (Red housing, black housing, roll pin and 2 30A contacts) cost $1.00. They are packaged 2 to a bag, and MCARES also has them in packages of 25.  Contact Dean KL7OR.
 

Lots of good information, how-to's and sources on the Anderson Powerpole IDEAS site   as featured in the WA1LOU Surfin' column on the ARRL Web site.  These folks are obviously very intelligent and have outstanding taste, they have a link to this page from their site! ;-)

Other supply sources are:  http://www.andersonpower.com/   http://www.powerwerx.com/    http://www.westmountainradio.com/

West Mountain Radio not only sells power poles, but has a nifty series of power distribution boxes called the Rig Runner.  In addition, their Rig Runner support page has detailed instructions with illustrations on how to assemble the power poles.  The connectors can be crimped or soldered.

MFJ is now selling Power Poles and power distribution boxes using APP connectors.

Powerwerx has a variety of APP accessories such as chassis mounts,  pre-made adaptors/jumpers, as well as a photo gallery of ideas and a list of organizations using the APP as a standard connector.

Another vendor we've found is HamStop. In addition to PowerPoles and RigRunners, they also carry the Saratoga Power Panels in kit and assembled forms.
 

Quicksilver Radio  has Power Poles, as well as an assortment of pre-fabricated jumpers and adaptors.
 

Designs for home brewed power pole based power distribution boxes.  See details at: http://www.qsl.net/wd4bis/connect.htm  Note: The man who developed these, Gerry, WD4BIS, stated the following in an e-mail: "...for the single sided board the max current is about 15 amps, Double sided board about 30 amps max,  you can about double that numbers if you leave a good solder path connector to connector."